August 20, 1923
Liverpool are optimists. The players believe they can improve upon last season’s record, and that they can again head the League chart, but there is an occasional feeling of the quietude that if anything happens to “the old brigade” there may be some little difficulty in falling back on capable reserves.
Eight of last season’s reserves were not retained. Frank Mitchell will keep goal for Tranmere Rovers; James Kane has gone to Wallasey United; Jack Sambrook to Stockport; George Smith to Gillingham; and William Cunningham to Barrow, while Peter McKinney has sailed for Canada, and Fred Wood and Frank Checkland has not yet settled.
Billy McDevitt, an inside forward, who played for Swansea Town two years ago, and was last year with Belfast United, has been engaged. He gave a very promising display in the practice games. Willie Chalmers, an outside left, from Old Aberdeen, also showed some cleverness in the trials.
Two amateurs have been signed on Idwal Davies, last season’s Welsh international centre forward, who was formerly with Buckley and latterly with Marine; and a local goalkeeper H.S. Shalliker. The directors are fortunate in having powerful defences, in which the various positions are capably duplicated.
The work of ground reconstruction, left over from last season, is approaching completion, and the club can claim to have one of the most compact enclosures in the kingdom. Concrete terracing, with twenty tiers, fronts the main stand, and will provide additional accommodation for 600 spectators. Supporters’ comforts have been attended to in the direction of retiring rooms and cafes and the seats at each end of the stand have been fitted with back rests.
A new, up-to-date Press box, to hold 40 has been constructed next to the directors’ quarters; and last, but not least, of the improvements concerns the comfort of visiting clubs, for whose players’ additional bath accommodations has been installed.
Elisha Scott
Belfast
Goalkeeper
5ft. 9 ½in. and 11st. 12lb.
Algy Wilkinson
Bradford
Goalkeeper
5ft. 10in. and 12st. 7lb.
Charles Pearson
Chester-le-Street
Goalkeeper
5ft. 10½in. and 11st.
Harry Shalliker
Bootle
Goalkeeper
5ft. 9in. and 12st. 6lb.
Ephraim Longworth
Bolton
Right back
5ft. 8½in. and 11st. 10lb.
Tommy Lucas
St. Helens
Right back
5ft. 8½in. and 11st. 10lb.
Jimmy Garner
Liverpool
Right back
5ft. 8½in. and 11st.
Donald Mackinlay
Newton
Left back
5ft. 8in. and 11st. 4lb.
Ted Parry
Colwyn Bay
Left back
5ft. 8in. and 11st. 6lb.
John Lillie
Newcastle-on-Tyne
Left back
5ft. 9½in. and 11st.
John McNab
Clelland
Right half
6ft. 1in. and 11st. 7lb.
John Bamber
St. Helens
Rght half
5ft. 9½in. and 11st. 12lb.
Ronald Mitchell
Birkenhead
Right half
5ft. 9in. and 11st. 4lb.
Walter Wadsworth
Bootle
Centre half
5ft. 10½in. and 11st.
David Pratt
Lochore
Centre half
5ft. 10in. and 12st.
Bill Rogers
Lancaster
Centre half
5ft. 11½in. and 11st. 5lb.
Tom Bromilow
Liverpool
Left half
5ft. 9½in. and 11st. 4lb.
William Lacey
Wexford
Outside right
5ft. 8in. and 12st.
Cyril Gilhespy
Fence House
Outside right
5ft, 8 ½ in. and 11st. 7lb.
Thomas Malone
Birkenhead
Outside right
5ft. 7½in. and 10st. 7lb.
Dick Forshaw
Widnes
Inside right
5ft. 8½in. and 11st.
Jimmy Walsh
Stockport
Inside right
5ft. 8½in. and 10st. 12lb.
Billy McDevitt
Belfast
Inside right
5ft. 10in. and 11st. 7lb.
Dick Johnson
Gateshead-on-Tyne
Centre forward
5ft. 6½in. and 12st. 5.
Danny Shone
Liverpool
Centre forward
5ft. 6½in. and 10st. 10lb.
Idwal Davies
Wales
Centre forward
5ft. 7½in. and 11st.
Joe Kedwell
Liverpool
Centre forward
5ft. 8in. and 10st. 10lb.
Harry Chambers
Wellington Quay
Inside left
5ft. 9½in. and 12st. 6lb.
Harry Lewis
Birkenhead
Inside left
5ft. 6in. and 11st. 2lb.
George Harold Beadles
Newton (Mon)
Inside left
5ft. 7½in. and 11st. 2lb.
Fred Hopkin
Darlington
Outside left
5ft. 7in. and 11st. 2lb.
Harold Wadsworth
Bootle
Outside left
5ft. 5in. and 10st.
Willie Chalmers
Aberdeen
Outside left
5ft. 10in. and 11st. 7lb.
(Source: Athletic News: August 20, 1923)
"Play Up, Liverpool" 